700374Mycoplasma in the dairy industryClosedGRD Proof of MarketInnovate UKMycoplasma are a type of bacteria and are the smallest free living organisms known; they are commonly found in the oral cavity and as symbiotic gut flora. In man, mycoplasma have been implicated in a variety of diseases including chronic fatigue syndrome, pneumonia and arthritis. Mycoplasma infection has long been recognised as a problem for the US dairy industry with 5- 6 million tests annually on dairy cattle. Mycoplasma infections lead to pneumonia, mastitis and arthritis in dairy cattle, they are extremely difficult to treat, and the impact on milk production can be devastating. Testing is slow, taking 14 to 28 days by culture methods and typically culling is the only effective treatment to stop the spread of an infection throughout the herd. Until recently, the effect of mycoplasma in the UK and EU dairy herds has been considered insignificant and therefore overlooked, but in just the last few years farmers and vets have started to become aware of increasing numbers of mycoplasma infections as the implementation of US-like intensive farming methods has become more widespread. We have a simple, sensitive and rapid test for mycoplasma which requires minimal training and only simple equipment. This project will discover the market potential for our test in the dairy industry in UK and Europe, and will generate a business case and “game plan” for entry into the market.